A transatlantic flight diverted to Shannon Airport this morning after a passenger was reported to have fallen ill.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight 713 was travelling from Amsterdam in The Netherlands to Paramaribo in Suriname on the north-eastern coast of South America.
The Boeing 777-300(ER) jet was about 230 kms south of Ireland when the crew requested clearance to divert to Shannon. The crew also advised controllers that they would need to dump aviation fuel. This is a done to ensure an aircraft lands within safe weights limits.
As a result, the airport’s own fire and rescue service was notified and placed on standby as a precaution. This is standard procedure when an aircraft has jettisoned fuel before landing.
In the meantime, the National Ambulance Service was alerted and requested to dispatch resources to the airport.
The flight landed safely at 10.42am and taxied to the terminal accompanied by fire crews who carried out an inspection of the aircraft’s undercarriage to ensure the braking system hadn’t overheated during the landing.
Ambulance paramedics were standing by to board the aircraft and assess the patient who was later transported to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
The flight resumed its journey at 12.10pm.
